Page 41 - Industrial plants

locations or harsh weather conditions. ready solutions for plant interconnection and digital
Offshore NUIs are equipped with advanced automation management; in particular, the company has developed
and remote monitoring systems that allow them to a proprietary software platform (AIPMS® - Asset
operate with minimal human intervention and often Integrity Performance Management Service) that
powered by renewable energy sources such as wind or collects and analyses real time data from the plant to
solar, and are designed to be highly self-sufficient. provide diagnostic health and performance behaviour
Despite the fact that offshore NUIs are normally
unattended, they are still subject to strict safety “Nevertheless, NUI model still
regulations and must comply with industry standards represents a challenge in terms of
for equipment, maintenance, and emergency response. real effectiveness and sustainability:
In the event of an emergency, the installation can be through its multidisciplinary
remotely shut down or controlled by personnel onshore. capabilities, Fores can support
NUI model is increasingly popular in the Oil&Gas operators to design and implement
industry, as it offers a cost-effective and environmentally the solution that best fits with project
friendly way to extract resources from the ocean floor. features, time and costs
They also help to reduce the risk of accidents and
injuries associated with traditional manned platforms.
Higher flexibility, lower footprint and reduced costs for information on the asset. Through Artificial Intelligence
design, construction and management of the asset are and Machine Learning algorithms, data collected are
distinctive elements of these solutions remotely processed to provide performance improvement and
operated, where human intervention is required only for predictive maintenance recommendations, on a top-
maintenance operations in extraordinary cases; the down logic (from the plant overall down to functional
absence of security and lodging facilities on the topside units, equipment and components). The result is plant
of the platform, avail a considerable saving in CAPex. production uptime improved, extended equipment
The high level of automation also helps to keep low lifetime and energy savings obtained, further elements
OPex, compensating the higher cost for maintenance that contributes to reduce project operational costs.
operation, to be performed onshore where the topside Digital tools like Fores’ AIPMS are essential to align the
skids and equipment have to be transferred for major plant production to a fluctuating market demand, in a
scheduled interventions. scenario of unpredictable geopolitical events and
Further optimisation of the whole system can be speculations. These elements are even more important
obtained through integration of innovative tools like on NUI platforms to support the schedule of
digital twinning platforms backed up by Cyber Security maintenance campaigns according to specific
systems. equipment and components predicted lifetime.
In this regard, Fores has the capabilities to provide IoT- In this regard, Fores most significant reference is

IndustrIal Plants - May 2023
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